Make mailto: links open in gmail in Google Chrome browser (Windows XP only)

I’ve been rocking Google’s new web browser Chrome for the last few days and really like it. Browsing craigslist and clicking on email mailto: links I realized there isn’t an obvious way to force these links to open a gmail window in Chrome. Most Windows systems will have the default mailto handler set as Outlook Express.

One option is to install the gmail notifier program. I opted instead for a quick change to the Windows XP filetype settings.

Note that following these instructions will cause all mailto links to open in Google Chrome, even if you are browsing in Firefox, Safari or (gasp) Internet Explorer so make sure you want to use google Chrome as your primary browser before continuing.

In any windows explorer window (except desktop):

* Go to Tools > Folder Options > File Types

* Near the top of the list of filetypes, click on “URL:Mailto Protocol”

This should all be on one line with a space between the quotation mark after the path info and the https. My path was “C:Documents and SettingsBrendanLocal SettingsApplication DataGoogleChromeApplicationchrome.exe” To find yours, just right click on a google Chome shortcut (like the one in your start menu), go to “properties” and copy the “Target” field.

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